Marriage remains at the center of contemporary Egyptian social life. It is the primary focal point in the lives of both women and men, followed only by the birth of a child. The rights and obligations of husband and wife are defined by Islamic law, the division of labor by gender, and Egyptian cultural practice.

The marriage negotiations :
All Muslim Egyptian marriages are characterized by a formalized set of negotiations that begin once the suitability of the marriage partners has been determined. The prelude to the marriage contract is the betrothal, which is the request by the man for the hand of a certain woman in marriage.

It is at this point that the man will approach her family with the view of describing his status and negotiating with them the marriage contract and their respective demands. For the betrothal to be valid, both parties should be aware of the circumstances of the other and should know the potential spouse's character and behavior. This information is obtained through inquiries, investigations, and the direct contact of the couple in the presence of a chaperon. Once the man's offer is accepted by the woman, or by those who are legally entitled to act on her behalf, the betrothal will have taken place. It is usual at the point of betrothal that the man offers his future bride a gift, which in Egypt is referred to as the shabka. In some instances, particularly if the man does not know the bride's family through previous contacts, or if he wants to make an extremely favorable impression on the young woman, the man will offer her the shabka before the khutba, thereby showing his good will, his good intentions, and, perhaps his good financial standing. The shabka is a very expensive gift of jewelry. Betrothal does not, however, constitute a marriage contract: It is merely a mutual promise of marriage between the two parties, and it is not legally binding for either. In practice, the khutba is easily dissolved.

Among Egyptians, the betrothal becomes a public acknowledgment of the couple's right to spend chaperoned time together. It is a general rule that now the prospective bridegroom will join the woman's family for dinner regularly, giving the couple an opportunity to get to know each other in the presence of others. In addition, other members of the two families will start visiting one another. In particular, the man's mother and sisters or female cousins will begin spending long periods of time with the prospective bride.

A Muslim marriage gives a wife the unconditional right to economic support from her husband regardless of her own financial resources. She also remains in control of her property, including inheritance or earned income. However, in case of divorce, the ex-wife is only entitled to three months' alimony and to those possessions that she brought with her at the beginning of her marriage or those that she acquired with her own income, as well as any portion of her mahr that is due her. Mahr is a sum of money or durable property that, according to Islamic practice, a husband agrees to pay to his bride at any time prior to or during the marriage or upon divorce.

The Cost of Marriage in Egypt :
Average marriage costs in Egypt are substantially higher than in other societies in which a dowry (the transfer of money and gifts from the groom and his family to his bride and her family) is customary.
According to one study, the average cost of a marriage in Egypt in the late 1990s was around $6,000—a prohibitive sum in a country in which average per capita income was $1,490 in 2000. One-third of the households in the study were found to be living under the national poverty line.
In rural areas, households that had an impending marriage and were living below the poverty line spent an average of 15 times their annual household expenditure per capita on marriage-related costs, while similar households in urban areas spent nine times their annual household expenditure per capita.
Marriage in Egypt typically takes place in stages that involve special and often costly ceremonies. Related marriage costs often include:

• The Shabka (or “tying”) of the couple with a gift of rings or gold;
• The dowry, partly paid for at the time of the marriage, with the rest held in reserve for settlement in case of divorce;
• Housing for the couple to live in;
• Furniture and appliances for the newlyweds;
• The gihaz (trousseau) of the bride, which includes small home furnishings.

The lion’s share of these costs—threefourths— is covered by a groom and his family, although the increasing expense of marriage and the increasing participation of young women in the labor force has meant that some brides and their families are contributing more money to their marriage expenses than traditionally expected.
Tradition, however, ensures that the cost of a wedding and its related activities in Egypt will remain high. Regardless of the economic situations of marrying couples and their families, the gihaz and other goods purchased to set up the newlyweds’ home are expected to be new, not used.
The groom’s side of the family customarily provides the couple’s housing (the major wedding expense) as well as any electronic equipment for the household, such as the television or refrigerator.
The rising cost of marriage is in part attributed to the rising expectations and consumerism that have accompanied the opening of the Egyptian economy, which began in the 1970s. The country’s high cost of housing and furnishings have had a number of unintended consequences for marriage patterns, such as youth entering into (urfi (common-law marriages that are unregistered and generally secretive) as well as men marrying women who are older and financially secure.